Review: Beyond the Glacier

It's best that Bavor has left his childhood village. As the youngest son of the elder, he is vaguely important but with no hope of ever having a leadership position. His older brothers have always taken all the girls, attention, and glory, so rather than continue in this situation, it is best that he leave and cross the glacier for a new settlement, where he can live and labor as a trader. But the power of the glacier is greater than he bargained for, and he loses everything left to him in the world in his crossing.

With perfectly turned prose, this excerpt expertly provides clear and deep characterization and backstory for the characters, all set against the dangerous and frightening backdrop of the frigid glacier environment. The pathos present in this work is harsh and stinging, but perfectly balanced - the compelling backstory of a lost woman and the painful drama of a lost friend of isn't over-milked or drawn out into angst. If I may make one suggestion, though, it would be to clarify the setting - I initially assumed the setting was prehistoric, but then a reference to "goggles" threw me. Once "Lys" started being invoked, I thought maybe we were in a fantasy / science fiction setting. This is probably a minor issue, though - a cover and back-of-the-book pitch should clarify setting anyway.

NOTE: This review is based on a sample excerpt of this book provided through the ABNA contest.

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